DUSHANBE, August 20, 2010, Asia-Plus — On Thursday August 19, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon sent a telegram of congratulations to his Afghan counterpart, President Hamid Karzai on the occasion of Afghan Independence Day, according to presidential press service.
In his message, Tajik leader wished peace and wellbeing to his Afghan counterpart and the Afghan people.
Afghan Independence Day is celebrated in Afghanistan on August 19 to commemorate the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919.
In some Afghan Diaspora communities where many of the world”s millions of Afghan refugees live, Afghan Independence Day is referred to and celebrated as Afghan Refugee Day. On this day Afghan refugees exchange presents and participate in traditional Afghan games and activities to celebrate both their Afghan heritage and their refugee experience.
Today, Emomali Rahmon who is currently in Sochi will depart for Yerevan, Armenia to attend an informal summit of the presidents of the member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The agenda of the summit includes the fight against terrorism and the drug trade, as well as the current situation in Kyrgyzstan. During his stay in Yerevan, Rahmon is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with some of the CSTO member nation leaders.
